Pickejr-stait fob



UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE SAMUEL ESTES, OF NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

PICKER-STAFF FOR LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,114, dated November 23, 1858.

T0 all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, SAMUEL ESTES, of Newburyport, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Mechanism for Operating the Picker-Staffs of Looms; and I do hereby declare that the same is fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, of whicht Figure l, is a. front elevation and Fig. 2, is an end view of such mechanism.

By means of my invention that part of the picker staff which strikes the end of the shuttle and drives the shuttle over the race beam, is made to travel in a straight line. In this respect Iny improved mechanism performs a function common to that of many other picker motions or other operative mechanism.

In the drawings, A, exhibits a portion of the race beam of the lay of a loom, while B, may be supposed to represent one of the swords which support such race beam. From this sword, an arm C, projects and carries an inclined curved surface or guide, D, which is arranged with its outer or lower end in or about in a vertical line passing through the outer end yof the passage in the race beam, through which the picker staffl E, plays, such passage being Shown at a, in Fig. 3, which is a top view of the mechamsm.

The picker staff E, carries a friction roller F, which rests on the top surface of the guide D while the lower end of the picker staff is jointed to the outer end of a radial arm G, whose inner end turns on av pin or fulcrum extending from the arm C. Immediately over the said radial arm and projecting from the arm, C, as shown in the drawings, is a project-ion, (Z, carrying an adjustable stop, c, which screws into and through the said project-ion. Furthermore, a retractile spring, H, is applied to the lower end of the picker staff, as well as the lay.

In carrying out my invention, the picker staff', when in or about in a vertical posit-ion lies against the outer end of the passage or slot, a, of the race beam. Under these circumstances, the guide, D, for the roller of the picker staE is placed as hereinbefore described and has but one inclined surface for the roller to work against. The common mode of arranging the guide is to place it immediately under part of the passage, a', and to form it with two inclinations extending in opposite directions from one another. Under these circumstances, the picker staff when against the outer end of the said passage, a, stands at an inclination to the horizon instead of in a. vertical position. This inclination which diminishes through the first half of its forward motion is not favorable for the correct throw of the shuttle as it rather tends to promote the elevation of the rear end of the shuttle when the picker staffz first strikes the shuttle in order to advance it. IVith my improved arrangement of the picker staff' and the guide, D, with reference to the outer end of the passage, a, the picker staff', when driven forward starts from a vertical position or nearly so, and as it advances, it gradually increases its inclination so as to cause that part of it which may extend about the shuttle to decline toward the shuttle in a manner to prevent its rear end from rising upward during its flight over the passage, a.. Furthermore, the single inclination of the guide, D, facilitates the retraction of the shuttle and the gradual diminution of the force tending to throw the shuttle forward. It also has other important advantages. By means of the stop, e, and its arrangement, I cannot only determine the extent of forward movement of the staff, but prevent it from being thrown upward at the termination of such forward movement.

I claim My improved arrangement of the picker staffl E with the guide, D, with respect to the outer end of the passage, fr, the same being substantially as shown in the drawings and as hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature.

SAMUEL ESTES.

Witnesses:

JOHN COOK, WILLIAM DAVIS. 

